Dance!
by Forever In The Fire
Summary: When Naru left, Mai ran away from the rest of SPR. Three years later, Naru's back and SPR minus Mai is back. Mai is now an idol named MAI, and using the name Akane Seto. When a ghost haunts Mai and starts attacking her, Mai is forced to call SPR. Will her secret be revealed? Will she join SPR again?
1. The Idol Case, Part 1

Kazuya Shibuya, or Naru as he had been named by his former assistant, sighed as he shut his laptop. He had only been gone two years, settling things in England. And what had he gotten when he returned? Takigawa and Matsuzaki got married, John had left Japan for a Missions trip or something, and his stupid assistant went missing!

Nobody knew where Mai went. The idiot was good as gone. It was six months after he left. She had started by stopping answering her phone, and then it was disconnected. Ayako said when they went to her apartment, where the landlady told them the Mai had left. She had packed up in the middle of the night and returned the key. She broke the lease and everything.

All that was left of the girl they came so close to was a simple letter that the landlady had passed on. They even showed him the letter.

_Dear SPR,  
I'm sorry to do this. But I can't do this anymore. It hurts too much to stay. I have to leave. One day, we may meet again. But until then, please don't try to find me. Everyone would just get hurt even more.  
Love,  
Mai._

Nobody had any idea where she had gone. She disappeared of the face of the earth. Even Yasuhara and Madoka couldn't find her.

Naru had been back for a year, and there had been no sign of her.

A soft piano sound drifted from the lobby of the office. A glance out of his door showed that Yasuhara was sitting on the couch, listening to a song on his phone. He probably had the research Naru had asked for, for his next case.

_Watashi no koi wo higeki no JULIET ni shinaide  
Koko kara tsuredashite…  
Sonna kibun yo_

That voice. Why did it sound so familiar? Why did it tickle some place in his mind, that was so elusive. The voice teased him, just out of reach.

Naru stood up and stormed into the lobby. He could almost see Mai looking up at him with a question in her eyes, ready to fall from her lips. Naru shook his head. Mai had left, with just a letter in her place. It was like she thought that little letter, those few line, those ten sentences, those forty-seven words could make up for her leaving.

But his new assistant did squeak and nearly drop his tea.

"Yasuhara!" Naru snapped, glaring at the university student. "What is that stupid song?"

Yasuhara looked surprised, like he expected Naru to be more focused on the task on hand, which he should have been. But, he had to find out who the hell was the singer, or else he would never get over it.

After a slight pause, he answered. "It's _Romeo and Cinderella_ by MAI."

Naru blinked. "Mai?" Mai had gone missing. If she really was a singer, or whatever, wouldn't Masako or Ayako have found her by now? Masako would have probably seen her in the studio, and Ayako would have probably found her songs by now.

Yasuhara lowered his gaze. "Not Mai, but MAI. All capitols, it's a stage name. Her real name is Akane Seto. Her agency, White Rose, tried to hide her real name, to give her some privacy. Her first land lady in Tokyo leaked her name."

Yasuhara showed him the girl dancing on the screen. There was a blonde girl with warm dark green eyes that sparkled with life was on the screen in nothing but tank top and a pair of panties, looking like she had no shame with her outfit. Her face looked similar to Mai's but only slightly. Like how a random passer-by might hold a slight resemblance to somebody you know.

Naru grunted before changing the topic to the case.

Mai Taniyama, better known as MAI by her fans or Akane by her close friends in Tokyo, sighed as the instructor ended the session. She turned to talk to Ren, but frowned when she realized the redhead was gone. And so was Miki.

She kept forgetting that Hart broke up. And it was all because of that stupid ghost that had been terrorizing the company.

The ghost did not scare the former ghost hunter. She had faced much worse working with Naru, so she stayed.

Ren tried to convince the group to switch to Forever Star, while Miki wanted to go to BEAT! and Mai wanted to stay at White Rose. So, Hart broke up to do their own thing.

The instructor left and Mai began going over the routine by herself, trying to get the moves that had been troubling her. Mai had always picked up on the moves easily, having used to dance herself when she was a child. But there were always one or two steps that gave her trouble.

That's when Mai felt it.

The muscles on the back of her neck bunched and her back stiffened. The room temperature dropped and she felt another presence in the room.

Mai bolted to the closed door and tried to pull it open. She may not have been afraid of the ghost, but she was not an idiot. The ghost wanted her gone, either way to injured to continue working or dead. Mai had a feeling the ghost would prefer the latter.

The doors stood fast, despite not having a lock on it.

"Help!" She screamed, pulling at the doors. A quick look back showed the ghost slowly crossing the studio. Very slowly. But it probably would reach her in no time at all.

As the ghost moved, mirrors shattered. Breaking into a million pieces that shone in the light. The glass twinkled on the ground.

"Somebody help me!"

The door opened, and the ghost was gone. Mai's manager, Akio Shuda, took in the damage and sighed.

"We're calling them, Akane." Was all he said to her. Mai felt her heart clench.

"Akio, please. Not yet. I can defend myself, I just need some time. All we need is probably a priestess. We don't need an entire Ghost Hunter team to come out."

Akio turned on Mai. "You say you can protect yourself, but you don't! I'm calling in a team!" Akio sighed and raked a hand through his dark hair. "Akane, don't worry. A friend of mine works for a team. Their very good with what they do. If you want, they probably will let you help. But I am bringing in a team. Nothing you can say will stop me anymore."

Mai glared at him before storming off to her room, leaving her bag in the practice room.

"Akane!" Akio called after her, but she ignored the older man.

It wasn't that she was trying to be difficult. She would have welcomed a team.

But she was hiding from her old team. Mai knew the chances of Akio contacting SPR where slim, but the chance of SPR hearing of her wasn't as slim. She was just lucky Masako Hara hadn't recognized her through the hair dye and contacts yet.

Mai plopped on her bed, sighing.

She pushed herself slightly off the bed to turn on her iPod, which waited for her in its dock station on her bedside table.

A cover of a song Hart did with another bad started playing

"Why did things have to turn out this way?" Mai asked herself. "It's been three years. Maybe I should try to contact them. But if they recognize my voice, how it changed…" Mai shook her head, her blonde hair whipping around her head. "After these ghost hunters leave, I'll call them. I'll tell them where I've been, let them know that I'm now MAI. They deserve to know. They have to know."

**A/N: This is my first Ghost Hunt fic, so let it rip. Go ahead point out all the flaws, how OOC the characters are, how bad the plot is. All reviews, with flames being the exception, are welcomed. OK, so I'm modeling the singers off of Vocaloid software. MAI is modeled off of Hatsune Miku, and later characters Miki will be modeled off of Kagamine Rin, Ren is modeled off of Teto. And a character that has yet to be mentioned, well I'll talk about her when she appears.**

**So, the song lyrics. That is Romeo and Cinderella by Miku Hatsune.**

**Next chapter: The Ghost team comes? Does Mai knows them? A member of the team gets attacked?**


	2. The Idol Case, Part 2

Mai stood with her agent, feeling a little bit annoyed. The team that was supposed to come was late.

Now, if it had been Naru heading this case, they would have been early, even with heavy traffic blocking their way. He had always thought of things like that.

"If this team of yours can't show up on time, what makes you think they can solve this?" Mai growled at her manager.

"Akane, calm down will you?" Akio glanced at her. "They will be here. They probably got stuck in traffic."

They stood there for another while. Mai was playing with her phone as Akio watched the street before them, looking for a sign of his friend.

"Their here."

Mai save the file she was working on, the beginnings of new lyrics, and put her phone in the small purse that dangled from her arm.

"Akio!" The sandy haired man grinned as he stepped out of the dark van.

_No, I'm not ready yet!_ Mai thought as she stared at Takigawa. Ayako followed out of the van, giving Akio and Mai a small smile.

"Hosho," Akio grinned back. "Akane, this is Hosho Takigawa, and his team." The others members of the team looked at Akane and Takigawa introduced them.

"This is my wife, Ayako, and by the van is our boss, Kazuya Shibuya," Takigawa went over the names and duties. Then he got to a mousy looking brunet Mai did not know. "This is Namine Yagamine. She's Shibuya-sans's assistant."

Namine was pretty with long blond hair that came to the middle of her back and large blue-green eyes. She was tall and skinny, and had a large bust for someone with her figure. She was way prettier then Mai had been when she worked for Naru.

Mai felt the words twist in her heart, like a burning knife.

Akio introduce himself and her. Mai managed a small smile.

"Excuse me, I have to go." Mai said, brushing a strand out of her eyes. "I have to start recording for my album."

Akio paled when he realized that they were supposed to start recording her second album out of Hart.

"Akane, go ahead to the studio. I'll be there in a bit. I just have to show them around."

Mai hesitated before leaving. They didn't need her there. Namine was proof enough. They had replaced her. She didn't matter to them. If she did, maybe they would have tried to find her. She didn't make it impossible to find her.

When she reached the studio, they were waiting for her. Boy, did she get hell for being a few minutes late.

Yusuke Shida was there to watch the recording, because she _was_ covering one of his songs for her album.

They waited until Akio arrived before starting the recording. The music started and she count the beats.

"Hajimemashou ka SHOOTAIMU  
Utsukushii kimi wo houtai  
Hitotsu GEEMU wa doudai?  
Kimi no jikan wo choudai"

Miku sighed as she pushed her hair back. She just finished her session. Truth be told, she preferred live preformances.

"It's MAI right?" Mai turned to come face-to-face with Yusuke Shida.

"That's the name I perform under, yes." Mai said, smiling at the other singer.

Yusuke grinned at her. He reminded her of Gene, with his easy going attitude. Nothing like Naru.

"And what would be the name you use outside of work be then?" He asked her, looking down at her with clear blue eyes that seemed to take her breath away. He was nothing like Naru at all.

"Well, if we see each other outside of work, then I'll tell you." She teased lightly. She didn't know what caused her act like this. Was she flirting with him? She couldn't be flirting with him. Naru still held her heart. That's why she stayed away for so long, because she couldn't imagine being there without him.

_But Naru doesn't care about you_, a little voice in her head hissed. _He returned, and he didn't even make an attempt to find you. He just saw that you were gone and replaced you with that girl. I bet he likes her much better. He probably even says "thank you" when she give him his tea._

"MAI?" Yusuke asked. "What do you say?" He looked hopeful, like he just asked an important question. Like her answer could save him from the brink of death or something.

"I'm sorry, I spaced out." Mai admitted, blushing slightly. _Shut up_, she told the voice, _just shut up. I don't need you telling me what I already know._

He laughed. "That's ok, it happens to the even best of us." He was nothing like Naru, Mai decided. If it was Naru, he would have called her an idiot. "I was wondering if you wanted to get coffee. I have an offer for you. For a song."

Mai had a feeling it was for more than just an offer for a song.

Naru sat in the base, sipping his tea as he watched the small screens.

He wrinkled his nose at the cup, like it did something to offend him.

_What did Mai do to make the tea taste so good? _He grumbled in his mind. _I tried everything. I used the same brand, the same type of sugar, everything. It's always to bitter, or to sweet, or too washed out._

It took him a second to notice it, because he was to focus on his tea. But the scream through the monitors broke him out of his thoughts.

In the same room as Namine, was a ghost. The woman looked worn, like she had wasted away into nothing. Her blonde hair, which must have looked beautiful in life, was thin and greasy. Her face looked like it was pulled to tight over her skin.

"_Lair,_" The ghost said, "_You lied to all of us, MAI. To your fans, to your friends. You shall pay!_" The ghost lumbered towards Namine. Naru would admit, from afar, the assistant did look like the singer. But, you could still tell.

"Everyone, go to the dance studio. Namine is in trouble." Naru stood from his seat before running towards the studio.

"Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, ZEN!" The blond standing in the doorway was beautiful, powerful, yelling the Nine Cuts with ease, making the proper motions. The rest of thee team watched in awe as she dispelled the ghost.

"Thank you!" Namine cried, flinging herself at the singer.

"MAI-sama," Ayako began uncertainly. "Akio had said that you had been attacked by the ghost, nearly injuring you."

"I was." Akane said, nodding as she comforted the useless blond that was hanging on her. Naru sighed. This assistant could not do _anything_. At lease Mai had been able to make tea and have visions. Namine couldn't even make tea correctly.

"Why didn't you defend yourself?" Monk asked, making Akane freeze.

"I guess I forgot that I could do the nine cuts when I got attacked, it's been so long since I used them." The blond singer laughed. "I just came to get my bag that I left yesterday when I found Miss. Yagamine getting attacked by the ghost. Excuse me." Akane made her way to where the small black bag reseted and pulled out a small phone and started playing with it.

The team stared at her.

"What?" Akane asked, realizing that their attention was focused on her.

"Didn't you have your phone earlier?" Naru asked, eyebrow raised.

"That was my work phone. This is my personal phone." Akane smiled before pulling out said "work phone" and doing something. "There," She whispered to herself. "Saved, safe and sound." The singer grabbed her bag and politely excused herself.

**A/N: Yusuke Shida is based off of the vocaloid Gakupo. There will be a lot of flirting between Yusuke and Mai. But don't worry, Mai/Naru will prevail!**

**The song used here is Joker. The thing about the song is the release and original singer is kinda complicated. It was originally written for the Gakupo software, but there was a problem, so it was released with the Miku software first then with the Gakupo software. I consider Joker a Gakupo song, as does a lot of other people. But, there are people who consider it originally done by Miku, because she released it first. Like, when I was looking for the lyrics, the site credited to Miku as the singer.**

**So anyways, after writing the scene where Mai was trapped in the studio, I was like "Why doesn't she just use the nine cuts?" and I almost rewritten it so she tries, but something happens and Akio saves her, thus making it where he has to call in SPR. But then I thought of Mai going "Oh, I forgot about them" and I had to right it. So, yeah.**

**Next chapter: Mai explains what the ghost was talking about? The identiy of the ghost is revealed? Why does the ghost have a grudge again MAI? Mai and Namine have a heart-to-heart? And does Mai have something to say to Naru?**


	3. The Idol Case, part 3

Mai sat in SPR's base, fidgeting nervously. Great, that stupid ghost pretty much spilled her secret.

The singer watched the film replay. She kind of regretted saying she did not see a good look of the ghost, that she had just seen Namine being attacked.

"Do you know who this is?" Naru asked.

"Yes," Mai answered quietly, feeling tears pricking at the edge of her eyes. "That is Cana. She was a member of Hart. Always the slowest to pick up on song and moves, but she was so dedicated. She kept pushing herself to learn it all. She pushed herself to hard, didn't take care of her body. She fell apart, physically and mentally. Her health went under, Akio tried to keep her from going to hard. Tried to stop her. But she went behind his back, going even harder. She thought that the little time she spent resting made her fall behind. Then she found out about my secret. I don't know how she did. But when she found out, she went insane."

"What was your secret?" Naru asked, eyeing her.

Mai knew that it was something he had to ask. It pertained to the case, the reason why Cana kept going after her.

"I was running from my past. I had been hurt badly by someone I loved very much. He ripped my heart in two and then just left me. I was broken beyond repair. It hurt to stay where I was. Every place reminded me of him. So I ran to Tokyo under a false name, Akane. And I acted like I was a girl named Akane Seto. Then Akio found me, offered me a job. He saved me from my meager existence as a Maid Café waitress. Cana thought I was using Hart to hide from my past. I wasn't, I loved Hart as much as she did. But she didn't see it that way. She had loved for Hart, put everything into it. And she couldn't see I loved it just as much, she thought that I saw it as a means of hiding from the man I loved, from my old friends. She ousted me to Ren, who revealed she had been running from her overbearing parents who were trying to control her life. That was around the time she died. Then we took in Miki, who was also running. Miki was running from her abusive boyfriend who had been stalking her."

The team stared at her with wide eyes. Well, the team minus Naru and Lin. They remained stoic.

"Why did Cana only go after you?"

"She's tied to this place. When Ren and Miki where still here, she attacked them to. But they left, and she couldn't follow them. She had put so much into Hart, into White Rose, she couldn't leave it. So she's tied to this place, this company." Mai stood, smoothing her miniskirt. Naru noticed she looked very pretty today. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a date that I don't wish to be late for." She smiled at them before she left the room.

Naru wondered why he felt a sharp pain of jealously when she said she had a date.

Mai found herself in her room on her computer that night, scrolling though MAI-fan forums. SweetieX2 was playing through the speakers. There was a light knock. "Come in." she called to her visitor. Namine opened the door and came in.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Seto-sama. But I have a question that has nothing to do with the case. Mai looked up from her and patted the space next to her.

"What's on your mind, Miss. Yagamine?" She asked as Namine perched on the edge of her bed.

"Please, call me Namine." The girl opened her mother to ask her question when she saw the page. "Is that a fan site?"

"Yep, I love going on these and seeing what fans say. Every now and then, I act like a fan and talk to them. That way, I can see what they really think." She finished up her sentence on the forum.

"'_Would MAI and Oliver Davis make a cute couple? I bet Oliver Davis would be young and cute and they would be awesome together! And it's common knowledge that MAI use to do ghpst hunting in her free time before she started singing._'" Namine read off the page. Mai smiled to herself. Of course, she knew who the famed Oliver Davis was. But MAI, and other people, did not know. "'_Ew, no. I bet he's old and boring and not really hot. Who else could right those stuffy ghost theory books._'"

"That was me who wrote that comment." Mai told her.

"He isn't." Namine said, like she knew who Oliver Davis was.

"Excuse me?" Mai asked, eyebrow raised.

Namine blushed slightly. "I studied under his father, so I met him quite a few times. I'm almost done, that's why I'm here. Shibuya-san's father asked him to let me intern with him for a while, to finish my studies. But he hates me! I don't know what I did wrong, but he always glares at me, and he's always yelling at me, and he's always calling me stupid. He's terrible! But it's apart of my training, so I put up with it."

Mai blinked at the girl. She was only here as an intern. And it was because Naru's father asked him to take Namine under his wing. Mai felt so stupid for jumping to assumptions like that.

"Just refuse him tea or something. That should put him in line." It might work for the poor girl. She was an intern, probably not paid. Mai had been unable to do such a move, less she risked getting her pay docked.

"Refuse Shibuya-san his tea? That would only work if he actually let me make his tea. Lin-san said that he always refused to let other people touch his tea. Lin-san said only two people were allowed to make the tea, but he refused to tell me. And when I ask Shibuya-san, he yelled at me." Namine sniffed slightly.

Mai blinked, before grinning. "Does somebody like Shibuya-san?"

Namine blanched. "No way! He's my foster brother! I was adopted much later then he was, but still. Besides, I have a boyfriend back in England. He proposed, but I told him I would give him an answer after I returned from Japan."

"Why did you put it off?" Mai asked curiously. Namine blushed.

"I love him, very much. But I don't know if he loves me. He might just be proposing because he felt it was right, not because he loves me. He has a very high sense of right and wrong. And he might just feel that being with me all of these years, without offering the type of commitment marriage has to offers, would be wronging me somehow." The girl responded.

"Namine, I don't know your boyfriend, but hear me out. If he has such a high sense of right and wrong like you say, then wouldn't he believe that offering you a loveless marriage is wrong? Everyone knows marriage isn't something to take lightly, and I doubt your boyfriend would be offering it so carelessly without a lot of thought."

"Thank you," Namine smiled at her. "I think this is what I needed."

"What was your question, Namine?"

Namine froze, and became the shy, timid girl again. "It's about what you were telling us earlier. The one about the guy you loved. Do you still love him?"

"I love him so much it hurts sometimes, not being with him. But he dumped a huge surprise on me, and left. When he rejected my feelings, I would have been content with still just working under him, as long as I got to be around him. I wouldn't have mind if he went out with other girls. As long as I could be at his side when we worked, I would have been fine. But then he jetted off, after closing the company."

"Have you tried moving on?"

"Yes, I have. The date I mentioned when I left? It was supposed to be romantic. I tried getting over the man I love; I tried to force myself to move on. It never works. I just ended up comparing my date to him. I don't think I'm ever gonna get over him." Mai feel back on the bed, sighing.

"Its hard being in love with somebody who does not love you back." Namine commented.

"You speak like you know how it feels." Mai said, raising an eyebrow again.

"I once loved somebody, back when I was in high school. He told me he loved me back, he lead me along. Then he broke my heart. Shattered it into a million little pieces, he did. I thought I would never love another man. I had still loved the jerk who broke my heart, even after the wrong he did to me. But then I met my current boyfriend and he showed me how to move on." Namine grinned at the singer. "I'm sure you'll learn to move on yourself."

"Not when he's so near." Mai replied. "I just saw him again today. I had no idea he was back in Japan."

"Do you think he would have contacted you, if he knew where you were?" Mai stared at the intern with confusion. "You mentioned earlier that you had run away from your old life. Do you think if he knew how to contact you, he would have?" Mai stared at her. Would he had called her, or visited her, if he knew she was MAI? Or would he had let her be? "Maybe you should try talking to him. You don't have to tell him you're MAI if you don't want to, Akane-sama. But see how he reacts."

Naru sighed as he let the picture of Mai fall onto the pile of files. Namine and MAI's conversation was background noise. The singer's voice still nagged on the back of his mind, taunting him.

He stared at Mai's picture again. It was taken in the car on the way to one of their cases. Takigawa snapped it as she was grinning at him. It landed next to a picture of MAI, posing for a CD cover. MAI had a forced smile on her face, tinged with sadness only a person who lost everything could know.

That's when Naru saw it.

_I was running from my past._

_I had been hurt badly by someone I loved very much. He ripped my heart in two and then just left me. I was broken beyond repair._

_I love him so much it hurts sometimes, not being with him._

_I tried getting over the man I love;_

_When he rejected my feelings, I would have been content with still just working under him, as long as I got to be around him._

_I guess I forgot that I could do the nine cuts when I got attacked, it's been so long since I used them._

"Damn it," Naru snarled to himself. "Stupid girl. Why didn't I see it earlier?"

There was a small knock on the door. "Come in."

"Mr. Shibya." MAI smiled, holding two cups of tea. "I have to talk to you about something."

"You can cut the act, Mai. I know it's you."

The singer frowned. "Yes, I am MAI. But that was made clear when you arrived. I have to clear up who I actually am."

Naru stared at her like she was an idiot. "You're Mai."

Anger crept up on her face. She was getting frustrated with this conversation that was looping over and over. "Yes, I'm MAI but I'm also-"

"Mai Taniyama, my former assistant who went missing three years ago. That's what I've been saying." Naru cut her off, closing the file in front of him, hiding the picture of her all those years ago. He didn't want her knowing that he had it, that he was looking at it.

**A/N: Not much action in this chapter. So, the secret is out to Naru. How will the rest of SPR react?**

**I'll admit, I was enjoying myself with the "You're Mai" "Yes I'm MAI". What can I say, I'm very easily amused. My friends can attest to that. Lol. So yeah, Cana is modeled of the Vocaloid Akita Neru. I don't believe Neru is an official vocaloid, but I love her. Not as much as I love Rin, Miku, and Luka but still.**

**I was going to save this chapter for tomorrow, but I updated at Yugure no Bara's request. I decided I should post as much as I can before I start college next week.**

**Next chapter: SPR finds out, and Cana is put to rest? Could it be that easy? Will Mai return to SPR, or will she continue her career of singing? Will she do both? Can she do both? Ren and Miki have something to say? Yusuke and Naru meet? That can't be good.**


	4. The Idol Case, Part 4

Mai sighed as she wrote on the clipboard. What was her punishment for running away? Why, it was having to help with the case, free of charge. Because Naru was a cheap-skate like that. It was like her first case all over again, after she accidently hurt Lin and was helping Naru to pay for the camera she broke. The camera that was covered by insurance. And her punishment for not telling them right away? Let's just say, Naru is still a tea addict.

At lease the stupid narcissist didn't force her to tell the rest of the team, not just yet.

"Miss. Seto," Ayako said with surprise when she saw Mai taking temperature readings. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, this?" Mai asked, raising the clipboard. "I use to be a paranormal investigator myself, before I became a singer. So I decided to help with the case. Mr. Shibuya didn't have a problem with it."

Ayako seemed to buy that answer. The priestess began to leave, but Mai spoke up.

"Wait, Mrs. Takigawa." Mai instantly hated herself. She knew she should tell Ayako, and she hated herself more from keeping it from the redhead. "I have something to tell you." Mai felt her throat close when those searching brown eyes. "Well, you see," She began, looking anywhere but the priestess. "My real name is Mai, like as in Mai Tamiyama."

Ayako stared at Mai, like the admission was too good to be true. Like she had been searching desperately for Mai the past three years and couldn't find her.

"I don't how you found out about Mai," Ayako said slowly. "But that is a cruel joke to play on a person, Miss. Seto."

Mai felt her heart twist. The sadness in her Ayako's voice, the hurt in her eyes, the look like someone who let themselves hope then had their hope crushed. It was all heartbreaking.

"I'm not playing a joke, Ayako." Mai began. "I-"

"Mai left three years ago," Ayako hissed. "There was only a letter in her place. We searched for her for three years. It obvious that she does not want to be found by us. Even if you are her, you wouldn't tell us who you are. She made it clear she doesn't want to be around us, when she left." Ayako whirled and made to stomp out of the room.

"Wait," Mai yelp, grabbing the priestess by the wrist. "If you don't believe me, then ask Naru. Even though he's a jerk, he won't lie to you."

Mai felt guilty. Did Ayako really think that she didn't want to be around SPR? Did they all feel that way, or just her? Would they welcome her back, if she did tell them?

Mai groaned, her head starting to hurt. She did the only thing she could: She continued on with the task that was set before her and tried not to think about SPR to much.

Naru sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He needs better employees. Employees that did not get distracted by a singer who revealed herself to be their old friend.

"Ayako, will you please calm down." Naru sighed, eyes trained on the monitors. "You're giving me a head ache."

Ayako sputtered. "Don't you care at all, Naru?" She shrieked. Namine was standing off in the corner, hugging her clipboard to her chest, her bid eyes even bigger. The poor girl had never seen Ayako this angry. "She's claiming to be _Mai_! She slandering our good friend's name."

_She should have been here when Ayako found out she was coming,_ Naru thought to himself, wincing slightly at the memory. This was nothing compared to that moment. It took them three hours to calm Ayako down enough for Naru to explain that Namine was only an intern and would be gone again after a while.

"One, your using the word in the wrong context, Ayako," Naru sighed, pressing his fingertips to his forehead lightly. "Two, she is Mai."

Namine hesitated slightly before speaking softly. "Who's Mai?" She asked,

Normally, Ayako liked the blonde girl. After she got over Namine taking Mai's position, however temporary Namine was. But Ayako turned her glare on Namine and the assistant squeaked, cowering even further into the corner.

"What do you mean she is Mai?" Ayako snapped, glaring at him.

"_Sekai de ichiban ohime-sama  
Sou iu atsukai kokoroete yo ne_"

All attention swiveled to the screen. It was the ghost, singing as it slowly crossed the room. The same room Mai had been taking the temperature in. Naru could see how the woman had worn her body beyond repair.

"_Sono ichi itsumo to chigau kamigata ni ki ga tsuku koto  
Sono ni chanto kutsu made miru koto ii ne?  
Sono san watashi no hitokoto ni wa mittsu no kotoba de henji suru koto  
Wakattara migite ga orusu nano wo nantoka shite!"_

Mai ran to the door and began tugging on the handle. "_Help! Somebody, help me!_" She screeched, looking desperate.

_She forgot about the nine cuts again._ Naru thought, sighing as he watched the girl.

Naru lifted the dark walkie talkie to his lips and pressed the button that opened the channel.

"Mai, use the Nine Cuts." Naru said into the device. On screen, Mai jumped like she had forgotten Naru had given her the thing. At her blank look, Naru repeated his statement.

On the camera, Naru watched as she hit her fist against her open palm, as if the idea just hit her, before doing the Nine Cuts.

"That idiot," Naru sighed watching as she picked up her clipboard and left the room.

After being attacked by Cana, Mai found herself in the SPR base, surrounded by her old friends, squabbling and demanding why she left. Namine was standing off to the side, confusion written on her face.

Then the words she was waiting for came, the words that assured her that this wasn't a dream.

"Mai, tea."

Only in a dream would Naru be nice. Actually, not even in a dream.

Namine blanched, sputtering about how Naru never let anybody else make his tea.

After fetching Naru his tea, the team began catching up on what had been missed in the past three years. Namine even found out who Mai use to be.

Mai was truly enjoying herself. She felt the stress of being an idol melt away. Right now, she didn't have to worry about her new album, or any upcoming tours. She was just Mai. Right now, MAI didn't exist in this little bubble of their's.

The door slammed open and two women stood in the doorway.

"Akane!" They shouted together, both of them smiling. The woman on the left had short blond hair, styled slightly spiky with a small white bow holding her bangs back. She was dressed in a short yellow skirt and white tank top. The other woman had vibrant red hair pulled up in two drill-tails, as Mai use to call them. She wore a tight red dress.

"Ren! Miki!" Mai squealed before running up to hug her old band-mates.

"We decided to come back to White Rose, after hearing that their doing something about this little ghost problem. Akio is working on getting our old room back together." Miki said, smiling. Mai felt her heart clench.

Of course they didn't know about Cana.

"So, how's it go?" Ren asked, smiling.

Mai excused herself and the her fellow singers, leading them down the hall. She hoped to explain the situation.

"So, it's Cana?" Miki asked with a monotone. Mai wasn't use to the serious look on the fun-loving blonde's face.

Miki had met Cana before. She had been a backup dancer for a number of their shows and TV broadcasts. Cana had run into Miki in their first major show, and they became good friends. Akio had said it was too soon to try to introduce a new member of Hart. It would confuse people too much. After they became better known, then they could bring Miki in.

It never got to that point. They were always too busy to revisit the subject of introducing Miki as a Hart member.

Then Cana died. They needed another member, and Miki volunteered for the place.

"Yes, her hatred for our hidden past twisted her spirit, made her vengeful." Mai replied. "She was holding onto her anger when she died."

"Please allow me to perform the exorcism then." Ren spoke up this time. Mai stared at the redhead. "You remember how I said my parents where controlling my life? Well, I had wanted to be a priestess, they did not. They wanted me to be a scientist, or something like that. I became a priestess, and they had a fit. They tried forcing me to leave my shrine. So, I ran away. I left my shrine and my parents. I had hoped to find another shrine near Tokyo, but Akio found me and brought me to Hart. Technically, I'm a priestess, and I can perform exorcisms."

Mai stared at the redhead. "Why didn't you bring this up before, instead of just leaving?"

"I had no idea it was Cana. I thought it was a random ghost, maybe a girl who died before her debut. I had no reason to ignore it, but I did. Like all of us, I was running from my past. I wasn't eager to turn around and embrace it again. But this is one of my close friends who became a vengeful spirit." Ren's bright red eyes, contacts Mai had learned, shone with determination.

"Are you an idiot, Mai?" Naru asked, looking up from his file. Mai heard strangled sounds, probably coming from Miki and Ren. They were used to being spoken to with reverence, and the fact that Naru spoke so calmly, and called Mai an idiot, probably shocked them to no end.

Mai glared back. "No, I'm not Naru. This is our friend who is haunting the halls of White Rose, and we would prefer if one of us can put her to rest. If we fail, then you can go on doing your job and we will not bother you. But, give Ren a chance." Mai was standing over Naru, glaring down while he calmly stared right back up at her.

"Fine, do whatever you want. Just don't come crying to me when you fail and just anger the spirit more." His words was filled with anger.

"Don't make me- wait, what?" Mai blinked. She expected Naru to put up way more of a fight.

Mai stood with Miki, Monk, Ayako, and John while Ren began her ritual.

"Watch, Old Lady," Monk grinned, teasing his wife, "This is how a real Shinto exorcism is done."

_Thwack_.

At Ren's short glare, they went quite. They watched as she did the ritual. Cana appeared at the altar, screaming at the priestess. Then, the ghost was wrapped in a shining bright light and gave them a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Akane." Cana said before she disappeared.

Mai felt the tears falling and Miki latched onto her former bandmate and they began crying together. Ren joined them and they all slumped to the floor, sobbing.

Mai almost couldn't believe it was that easy, but right now she couldn't bring herself to care.

Mai and Naru stood off to the side as the rest of SPR packed. Naru had insisted that they had a talk.

"Will you, Mai?" Naru asked her. There was something in his voice that Mai couldn't place. It couldn't be longing could it? No, this was Naru they were talking about.

"I don't know, Naru." Mai replied. "I have a life in Tokyo, now. I have fans, and people who love me." Mai sighed. She wanted to be at SPR again, with Naru. But could she leave all she built up, all she had? "I need to think it over."

Something flashed in Naru eyes, but it was gone so quickly Mai couldn't identify it. She wasn't quite sure she even saw something. It could have been a trick of the light or something.

"Well, you know where to find us if you decide." He turned on his heel.

"Wait, Naru!" Mai called, feeling her chest constrict. Naru stopped. "Are you going to be in Tokyo for long?"

"We're leaving tonight." Was Naru's short answer, with absolutely no emotion. It cut Mai deeply, the unfeeling tone. Did he not care if she came back? Was she just for when Namine left and went back to England?

"Akane!" Mai looked up to see Yusuke's worried face. Mai launched herself at him, laughing.

"Yusuke!"

She never noticed that Naru's grip tightened on the box he had picked up, nor the murderous look on his face.

"Have you considered my offer, Akane?"

Mai bit her lip before answer. "Yeah, I'll do it."

To Naru, it was just confirmation that Mai wasn't coming back to him. Why would she? She was trying to move on. He broke her heart, as she said to Namine. Why would she want him anymore? She was going to stay here in Tokyo, and she would continue to be the number one most loved idol, and have an amazing idol boyfriend who she would perform with.

Why would she give what she has up? For him, the boy who left her with a broken heart?

Naru sighed as his gaze swept over the base one lastg time, making sure they had all the equipment.

"So you're Akane's old boss." Naru did have to look to know it was Yusuke Shida.

"I am."

"You know, you really hurt her by showing up here out of nowhere."

Shida's voice really pissed Naru off. There was like a condescending tone to it. Almost smug, like Shida knew how Naru felt for his former assistant and was rubbing the fact that he was to comfort Mai while all Naru was doing was hurting her more.

"It wasn't like I knew Akane would be here." Naru replied, her false name feeling odd in his mouth. "If I had known, I would have let her come back in her own time."

"I don't think that Akane will be coming back to your little scam operation. Why would she?" Naru really wanted to punch Shida, a feeling he never really had before. Of course, Naru couldn't stand people before and he hated people before, but he never actually wanted to punch them. "She has a great life here. I mean, she has me. Why would she want to give that up?"

And then the bastard was gone, after saying that.

Naru sighed as he stared at his file. Namine had the radio on, and it was playing that bastard's new song, one that had Mai singing in it and it was distracting him.

_kyō mo mata utsukushī on'na ga boku no moto otozureru  
hohoemi o ukaberu anata wa atarashī tsuma to naru  
kindan no akuma tono keiyaku te ni ireta kono chikara  
boku o mita subete no on'na wa miryō sare ochi te iku_

The flimsy wood of his pencil snapped in half.

"Namine!" He roared from his seat. "Turn that off!"

"Sorry, Oliver!" Namine squeaked before the radio shut off.

The door to the office opened, the bells jingling.

"Hello, welcome to- oh!" Naru sighed and left his office, wondering what his stupid foster sister was doing. His eyes widened when he saw that angel in his office.

She had dyed her hair back to her normal color, and stopped wearing the contacts. She left her hair long, almost reaching the middle of her back.

"I'm back." She said.

Naru hid a grin. "Mai, tea."

**A/N: Case one, done. I would have had this up yesterday, but I had something to do so I didn't get to finish it. Sorry. And I honestly did not make Yusuke with the intention of making him such a bastard. He just turned out that way. He was going to be nice, a shoulder to cry on and talk things over with Mai. But he was talking to Naru and that scene wrote itself without my consent. Lol.**

**So, the song that appeared in this chapter was The Madness of Duke Venomania. It's mainly sung by Gakupo, but it does feature Luka, Gumi, Miku, Meiko, and Kaito.**

**So, Mai's back!**

**Ok, so I have a bit of a funny story to tell you guys which only provides how stupid I can be. I was trying to think of the next case, so I was going to use something from another anime (Like the situation, you know? Like, I was thinking if taking like a case out of Supernatural or something, but not Supernatural because that mostly deals with demons.) and I was like "What can I use?" Then it hit me. "I know! I'll use that one case from that anime for Dance! Wait a moment… I can't take that case, because the anime I'm thinking of is Ghost Hunt. -_-'." Yeah, I can be airheaded.**

**I also wanted to thank all those who reviewed. I would had thanked you earlier, but I wanted to keep uploading, so I could give you all more chapters to read. I am really glad to have such good readers like you guys!**

**Next chapter: A new case? Mai and Masako reunite? Namine's boyfriend comes to Japan? And who's this new boy who knows Mai? Does Naru finally confess? Or does he mess it it? And who's this girl, claiming to be Naru's fiancée?**


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